Straight Shooter

 The Press gathered outside the courtroom...

ADA Diane Baronski adressed the crowd..

"It is unfortunate that the defendent is deceased...but that does not end this investigation into the allegations made...There are others named in this indictment that we do intend to bring to justice.. I do believe the defendent was about to name some very powerful people." she said.

"Lt. Tragg is saying the defendent was murdered...Do you think some powerful people had him silenced and therefore your own life could be in danger?" asked a reporter..

She smiled.

"I do not fear for my life and I uh am going to wait and see what the Medical Examiner's Office says before I run wild with this..And I suggest you do the same..I've been told it could be a case of suicide,or misadventure..we aren't clear on that yet...but as I said..This investigation is far from closed." she said

.AND AT SAM MOTHER'DINER THIS VERY MORNING!

"Well at least she's being logical and fair and not running off half cocked...Unlike a certain Police Lieutenant we all know and loathe.."said Beverly as she Josie, her cousin Kayla and her cousin's husband, Ray watched the proceedings in Sam Mother's Diner.

"It's rumored that Hoagie is one of the people named."said Josie.

"I don't believe that...Hoagie is the most honest man I know..The rock of integrity..He would never be apart of any nonsense like that." said Beverly..

"I didn't have the pleasure of being mentored by him like you and Liv did, but from what I've heard from him and about him and what I've witnessed the rare times I've actually seen him in court, he's come across as a real straight shooter like you said Kayla.

Ray nodded in agreement, but said nothing...

Just then Lt. Tragg walked in...

"Wellllll look who it is..The Bennett Girls...Where is Liv and your husband by the way ? Please tell me they are not interfering with my latest case..I know what high esteem they hold Mr. Carmaichel..who I can not find right now.." he said.

"What interest do you have in this? In Him? He has nothing to do with this..."said Beverly..

"That's where you're wrong little lady...I have an APB out for him now for First Degree Murder.."said Lt. Tragg..

''Aren't you jumping to conclusions?"said Josie..

''Sure he is...He's about to go off half cocked like he always does and arrest the wrong person."added Ray.

"Ray honey, No.Please.."begged Kayla.

"Lucky for you I have to take my lunch and run....Keep flappin your gums pal and I'm gonna put your dentist in a new tax bracket.."said Lt. Tragg..

"When you wake up, I'll remind you you said that."said Ray, who despised Lt. Tragg almost as much as Dabnis did.

Beverly and Josie both stared daggers at Lt. Tragg..

But he had no time to trifle with them...He had an arrest to make and he was relieved that at least for now..He wouldn't have to contend with us..or so he thought.

II-

Downtown at the law offices of Carmaichel and Ross..

Olivia, Nelson and I sat with Attorney Keith Ross..

"Olivia, Nelson, Donnie Ray thanks for coming...I'm just sick to my stomach..."said Attorney Keith Ross.

"So Lt. Tragg has already charged Hoagie with the murder of your client?  Has his death even been determined a homicide yet?" asked Olivia..

Nelson had just walked in with a copy of the autopsy report..

"I'm afraid it has Liv...Death by Barbituates Poisoning,plus the vial of pills they found on the floor were Hoagie's."said Nelson..

"Why did he have prescription Barbituates?" I asked.

"His heart,...I don't know if you know...but he suffered a slight heart attack two years ago...He took those pills and Aspirin for his heart...He told me he felt as if he'd been pick pocketed a few weeks ago..

They took his wallet and his pills... The wallet I understood..It had $500.00 cash, his debit and credit cards, which he cancelled immediately and had new ones issued..but why steal his pills?  We figured some junkie or crackhead stole his stuff.."said Keith Ross..

"Where is Hoagie? Is he aware he's a wanted man?" asked Olivia.

"Liv, I don't know...I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon and I filled him in on the court proceedings.. This was hours before we found Sam Hough dead.."said Keith Ross.

''What was his relationship to Steve Hough...Who was your client, Steve Hough?" I asked.

Beverly and Josie joined us..

"We got here as soon as possible Auntay...I think we were followed." she said.

"By Lieutenant Tragg."said Josie.

"Oh Damn it!  We've got to get to Hoagie first...Nelson. call the court, see if a good judge is available for arraignment...Today!"said Olivia.

"On it Liv!" said Nelson, who grabbed his cell phone.

He began making calls.

"To answer your question Donnie Ray..

"Steve Hough was an attorney, a friend of both of ours...He was an Assistant District Attorney...Both Hoagie and I had gone up against him in court numerous times...As much as we were adversaries..We actually became friends..I mean what did Hoagie drill into your head Olivia.."We don't take these cases personal..You win some, you lose some, you appeal and you move on..right?

Well one night...and I was there..7 years ago during the trial of Rollie Fingers..a guy neither me nor Hoagie had anything to do with ,we had dinner with Steve.. Steve was no longer an ADA, He was a defense attorney in private practice...Defending Rollie Fingers, a guy with numerous underworld connections.

We were at Bottom of the C' , Dollar Bill's Joint..

.

Steve asked Hoagie a hypothetical question...He said

"I have a gangster, a real bad guy who's been indicted on a half a dozen charges...but I don't think he's guilty of the main charge, the most serious charge...I really don't...and I have the straightest cop in America saying that this guy was at another location on the nights that some of these crimes occurred.." he said.

Hoagie said "This has nothin to do with the current Rollie Fingers case does it?..because if it does..I don't want anything to do with this...I don't want to hear about it.." he said..I remember that..

Steve Hough said..

"Noooo Nooo this is just hypothetical.." he said.

Hoagie said. "Then the Cop....The Cop is the defense's witness...You say this guy is not guilty, everybody expects that...but if the Cop says it and this cop is as straight as you say..Then the jury buys it!" said Hoagie.

"That was it...Fingers was acquitted and The Judge, who may have been complicit in all this, got a cushy job at the Bridgerton Investment Firm which is under investigation for Money Laundering as we speak...That Judge, Mathis I believe his name is gave Steve Hough a nice cushy job ,which he had at the time of his death..

They made out well..both were millionaires before the year was out..Homes in Palm Beach, a Yacht and flashy cars...and around that time..Hoagie got over one million dollars wired into his bank account from a source we couldn't verify or trace...Hoagie reported it to the IRS and paid the taxes on it.. But that was it...

Rollie Fingers was found dead on his Yacht here at Penns Landing and amongst his things which the Feds found were letters and bank statements and something that said or implied that Judge Mathis, Steve Hough and Franklin Carmaichel were responsible for his freedom and needed to be paid..Also, That cop..He's so crooked , when they bury him they are going to have to put his casket down in the ground sideways.."said Attorney Keith Ross..

Beverly, Nelson and Josie cracked up laughing...

''We need to talk to Judge Mathis and this Cop!"said Olivia.

"The Cop , A Detective Eddie Jeffries is now retired..He supposedly lives down at Penns Landing on a Houseboat...The Judge has been subpeoned and should be in town any day now.."said Attorney Keith Ross.

"We've got to find Hoagie...Hopefully before Lt. Tragg does.."said Olivia.

"I can't imagine where he would be right now..but you know Hoagie..He is calm under pressure...He won't do anything to provoke any uh unpleasentries.." said Keith Ross.

Hoagie might hurt Lt. Tragg, he utterly despises him.."said Olivia.,

"Gee Auntay....I can't imagine why?" said Beverly..

Nelson and I , Olivia, Josie and Keith Ross burst in raucous laughter...

III-

Hoagie walked around Lindsey's apartment..

"Nice place you got here..." said Hoagie.

"It's aight...I intend to move into something bigger.. Listen, after what I've told you...You need to be securing some legal help..."said Lindsey..

"Yeah, you're right...I left a message with Olivia and Beverly...Their Office manager told me they were out..I hope they aren't in the middle of another big case?"said Hoagie.

"Olivia and Beverly are perfect for your defense...but even so, you know enough attorneys if they aren't available.." Said Lindsey..

"Yeah....You know this whole thing is bullshit....I had a conversation with the guy...One conversation..One I thought was hypothetical...I should have known better...I didn't know the cop involved or Judge Mathis that well...I just made a suggestion and now they are trying to pull me into this." said Hoagie..

"Hoagie Babyyyyyyy you don't know do you? This is about more than corruption...Steve Hough is Dead!!! They're talking about Murder!!! They're saying you killed him to shut him up!!"said Lindsey.

"WHAT??? MURDER?? Awwww Nawww, Nawwww...That's crazy...." said Hoagie.

"I believe you...but you have powerful enemies who want to see you take a fall.."said Lindsey..

"Well I know of at least one enemy.." said Hoagie..

There was a knock on the door..

"Franklin Trevor Carmaichel....OPEN UP...POLICE!!! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST FOR FIRST DEGREE MURDER...I HAVE A WARRANT!!" bellowed Lt. Tragg.

Lt. Tragg had a tactical squad with them, ready to fire..

"I don't want you to get in trouble for harboring a fugitive...Open the door, let em in..."said Hoagie..

The press stood outside and watched as 

"Hoagie" the new Democratic States Attorney Elect was read his rights, handcuffed and humiliated as he was made to do the perp walk for the first time in his life..

As Lt. Tragg, with a fresh haircut and a freshly tailored suit posed for photos with the handcuffed States Attorney elect...

as he and a phlanx of armed police officers walked him out of the apartment complex..

Lindsey closed and locked her door and refused to talk to the media..

Jeff Walker, the Attorney who wanted the party nomination for States Attorney and who switched parties and unsuccessfully ran against him was there on the scene..

"I can't say I'm surprised by this.. Uh I have seen Mr. Carmaichel in court for years pull stunts that were quasi legal to win cases...and he has trained a generation of attorneys who engage in the same kind of theatrics and stunts...Well his lawlessness has finally caught up with him and I intend to run for the empty States Attorney seat again.." he said..

as the press snapped photos..and asked questions..

IV-

Hoagie sat in the cold interrogation room....Furious that he had been arrested ...

He said nothing... He wondered why he hadn't been offered even a cup of coffee at this point..He had heard that Lt. Tragg had bought a big breakfast of Steak and Eggs and Potatoes and coffee for a female suspect once..He didn't know if the story was true or not, but he was neither female or white..He didn't expect anything to be coming his way anytime soon..

Lt. Tragg walked in with a vial of pills...He smirked..

"This is what did you in Franklin...This bottle of your heart medication... Barbituates..eh?  My dad and my uncle took these... This bottle was found at the scene..I guess you dropped the bottle huh?" he laughed.

Hoagie stared at him with unbridled hatred...He hadn't killed anyone...but right now, at this moment, he wanted to reach over and squeeze this man's neck until all of the life oozed from his body...

"Interview Over Lt. Tragg" said Attorney Keith Ross...

"Heyyyy Hoagie.. I'm sorry we missed your call..We were actually at your office.."said Olivia..

"We saw you doing the perp walk on TV...We knew we had to get down here.."said Beverly, glaring angrily at Lt. Tragg..

"We brought you some hot donuts ,baked by our office manager." said Josie..

Who brought a Thermos of coffee and seven cups and a plate of doughnuts..

"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!!!! I DON'T BELIEVE THIS...ANY CASE WITH JUST A LITTLE BIT OF CONTROVERSY...AND YOU FIVE JUMP ON IT...DON'T YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO?" he bellowed angrilly...

''We are Attorneys..That's what we do...Defend people.."said Nelson, who usually said nothing to Lt. Tragg..

"You gotta admit..He does have a point." I said.

''And on that point...Buh Byyyyeee!"said Beverly..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!"said a beet red, Lt. Tragg as he stomped his foot and stormed out of the room..

"You keep getting upset like that...and you'll need my pills.."said Hoagie,laughing for the first time..

"We got you an arraignment in about an hour....If we can get you out...We'll talk about those pills and everything else involving this case.."said Olivia.

"Damn, you got on this fast Livy... Just like I taught you...My girl!.."said a very happy Hoagie..

Across town in an apartment building..Someone else is very happy at the moment..

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM..OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU"

squealed Assistant District Attorney Diane Baronski  as the man plowed into her, doggie style and bent her over the kitchen sink..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..AWWWWWWWWWW LAWWWWWWD!" the man moaned..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU..WHAT ARE YOU DOING TOMEEEEE?" she moaned..

"OHHHHHHHHHH!  OHHHHH!!! OHHHHHHHH!! UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" he moaned..

 

Soon they were sitting ,naked on the man's couch, kissing each other passionately...while  she moved up and down on his rock hard penis..

and eventually in his huge bed...Where they were making love for NINE TO TEN HOURS!

Diane had had four to five orgasms, intense orgasms...This man was like a machine...she was close to tapping out...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUU HOOO HOOO HOOO HOOOOUUUUU OOOUUUU WEEEEEE!" she cooed..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed to the top of his lungs as he finally began to cum and cum hard...

Some time later after hot showers and getting dressed Diane Baronski prepared to leave..

"I'll ouuuuu see you tomorrow.." she said...She didn't know if she'd be able to walk...Her young lover, Jake Patais..

took a swig of a bottle of water.. He was younger than her by 9 years...He had the stamina of a bull and the size of one also, she thought....

''Goodbye Love.." he said..

"Ouuu it's sooo cute the way you say that.." she giggled.

They kissed passionately for 15 minutes at the door..

"I'd better go before we wind up back in bed and you have worn me out...ouuuuuuuuuuu!" she said,laughing...

Jake Patais had graduated from Harvard Law School, her alma mater last year and had passed the bar last year...He was clerking for her and also acting as an investigator..He had brought her much information on the Hough corruption trial and had kept her bed warm and her toes curled at night..She was quite taken with him...Plus he was developing into a hell of an attorney, she thought..

''See ya tomorrow" he said..

"I'll bring you coffee and a pastry tomorrow.." she giggled as she walked to her car...She had been seeing him for three weeks...Three weeks of great sex and more information than she knew what to do with...

His phone vibrated ,not too long after Diane was gone..

"Yo!" he said.

"Jake, it's me..I've got new information to give to Ms. Baronski.. Mr. Carmaichel has been arrested and has gotten the services of Olivia Bennett-Alexander, her neice ,Beverly West-East, Nelson East, Josie Boyd and Donnie Ray Alexander for his defense..

She has went up against them before and it hasn't been so good for her...You need to find out as much as you can from them.....You can't find it out yourself..but we have another operative we are going to use..She'll report to you.." he said.

"Okay...I'll await further instructions.." said Jake..

"Very Good!" said Jeffrey Walker.

(TO BE CONTINUED)